Where The Love Of Cheddar Began

Cheddar cheese is thought to have been produced since at least 1170; King Henry II purchased 10,420 pounds of cheddar cheese in that year and is the earliest written record. Cheddar cheese is produced in many countries including the United States of America, the United Kingdom, South Africa, the Republic of Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

How The Cheese Is Produced

Europeans take their cheese manufacturing a bit more serious than cheese makers in the Untied States; it is said that Americans produce "dead" cheese because Americans wrap their cheese in plastic and refrigerate it, the prevents the cheese from "breathing" properly.

That being said Europeans have different standards for the making of cheddar cheese; one such set of standards requires the use of raw milk, the use of real animal rennet, wrapping the cheese in larded cloth (to keep germs out while allowing the cheese to breathe), and it be made in Somerset. Unless all of those conditions are met it is said the cheese can not truly be called cheddar.

Cheddaring is an additional step in the cheese making process where after heating the curd is cut into cubes to drain the whey, then the cubes are stacked and turned; this extra step produces the stronger flavor and hard to semi-hard texture expected of cheddar cheese.

Also to achieve the desired taste and flavor the cheese maturation process is delicate and needs to be subjected to the proper conditions; in the United Kingdom some cheddar cheese is matured in the caves in Cheddar, Somerset. Also cheddar cheese needs to be aged a minimum of three months for a mild flavor and up to 30 months to achieve a stronger flavor.

Choosing Cheddar

Choosing cheddar cheese is always a matter of taste, in America most cheese is mass produced and is available for purchase at most grocery stores; in grocery stores there is often an array of flavors of cheddar cheeses mild, medium, long horn, sharp, extra sharp/New York sharp, Colby, and Vermont/white cheddar are the most common varieties.

Cheddar cheese, like most cheeses in its natural state is white, however a fool coloring is often added to cheddar cheese; the reason for adding the coloring today is due to tradition, however the original addition of the color was likely to make the cheese easily distinguishable from other cheeses in shops if it was unlabeled.

People all over the world love cheddar cheese, the best of the cheddar cheese can be found in the city of Cheddar in Somerset, England. Other good cheeses are found around the world; the people of Australia may have defined cheddar cheese the best, they simply refer to it as "tasty" cheese.

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